Cupertino giant Apple has now launched their next-gen smartwatch dubbed Apple Watch Series 2 at their event in San Francisco. While the design philosophy of the Apple Watch 2 remains unchanged, a lot has changed under the hood.

Apple claims that their all new smartwatch is about two times faster than its predecessor thanks to an improved S2 dual core processor on the inside. Apart from that the watch also sports a new GPU which according to Apple is capable of delivering a much-improved performance. That aside, the Apple Watch 2 also sports an all new display that delivers a peak brightness of around 1000 nits. Apparently, this is the brightest display Apple has used on any of their products so far. Just for comparison sake most smartphones or even smartwatches come with an average display brightness of around 400 nits.

In a bid to double up as an excellent fitness tracker, Apple has made their watch swim proof this time around. This means that the Apple Watch 2 can survive at a company stated depth of 50 meters. So in case you love going for a swim in the pool during the scorching summer heat, you wouldn’t need to worry about removing the watch. To cope up with the active fitness routine of its users, Apple has also included a built-in GPS in their watch. This apparently will help track your jogging route and even tell you about an approximate speed of your jog or run during a particular stretch on that route.

Coming to the software, the Apple Watch 2 runs on the latest watchOS 3, which apparently comes with a number new features. This includes a new SOS feature, Breathe app, and a new touch keyboard. The newly introduced SOS feature on the Apple Watch 2 comes with an ability to alert 911 or the country-specific emergency number and one of your relatives in a single tap if you land up in a tricky situation. But what’s most interesting is the integration of Pokémon Go onto the Apple watch. Now you can easily view your stats, get alerted by PokeStops, hatched eggs right from your watch. On the other hand, the Apple watch will be calculating your fitness stats like calories burnt, miles walked, time spent walking etc. while you go on one of those Poke walks across your city.

It’s also worth noting that the Apple Watch is now even more personal with new watch faces including Minnie Mouse, Activity, and Numerals. Simply swipe edge to edge to swap out a new watch face and with the new Face Gallery in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, it’s now easier to customize watch faces and discover third party apps.

Just like previous years, the Apple Watch 2 comes in Aluminum and Stainless steel. However, Apple has a gone an extra mile this time around by offering their Watch 2 in a white pearl Ceramic edition, which apparently is a lot stronger than its other two alternatives. It’s, however, worth noting that the Apple Watch will be available in two case sizes – 38mm and 42mm. Coming to the bands, the Apple Watch 2 will come in a number of options including leather, stainless steel, silicone etc.

Interestingly Apple has partnered with Nike, this time, around and has come up with a slightly modified product dubbed the Apple Watch Nike+. The companies claim that the all new watch has been built with runners in mind and comes integrated with a social network called Nike+ Run Clun that gently prods you to run based on weather and by highlighting your friends running stats on your watch. Oh yes, it comes with a funky silicone band too. It will be available with four different coloured bands and will go on sale late October.

The Cupertino giant has marked their all new Apple Watch 2 and the Apple Watch Nike+ at a starting price of $369. On the other hand, they have announced a new iteration of their last-gen Apple smartwatch with the same dual-core processor found inside this year’s watch. They are calling it the Apple Watch Series 1 and have priced it $100 lower at $269.

As expected the pricing and the availability of the Apple Watch 2 are quite different from that in the US. While the Apple Watch 2 and the Apple Watch Nike+ will be available for order in the US starting September 9, the rollout won’t take place until Sept 16 and late October respectively. The Apple Watch Series 1 too will be available starting tomorrow. However, in India the Apple Watch Series 2 will be available from October 7th.

As for the Indian pricing the Apple Watch Series, 1 will be available in gold, rose gold, silver or space grey aluminum cases paired with Sports Band at a starting price of Rs 23,900. The Apple Watch Series 2 or Watch 2, on the other hand, will retail for Rs 32,900 and will be available in all the abovementioned aluminum cases along with an extra space grey stainless variant. The pricing for the Nike+ watch is similar too. The most costliest of the lot, however, is the Apple Watch Edition (Ceramic) at Rs 110,900.

Sayan Sarkar Author Sayan is a technology aficionado who shares a keen interest in the booming startup scene in India. Prior to joining TechPP, he has had stints at GizBot and IBTimes UK. Currently based in Kolkata, Sayan is pursing a degree in Dental Surgery.